Jermain Defoe has been appointed as the new manager of non-league Woking.Woking, who play in the National League, were on the lookout for a new boss having sacked Neal Ardley at the beginning of March. 57-cap England international Defoe is the new boss of WokingGettyAnd they’ve opted to hire former Premier League striker Defoe, who gets his first job as a manager.“Woking is a historic club with huge potential, and I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting project. I can’t wait to get started,” Defoe said.“Jermain’s achievements as a player speak for themselves, but what stood out to us during the process was how he sees the game, how he drives standards, and his approach to leadership and player development,” Woking chairman Todd Johnson said.“We have a clear plan for where we want to go as a club, and we believe Jermain is the right person to build on the strong foundations already in place and help take us forward in the next phase of that journey.”Defoe takes charge of a Woking side that are 11th in the National League with a play-off finish unlikely.The Surrey-based club are nine points off seventh-placed Southend United, who occupy the final play-off spot.Defoe’s first game in charge will see Woking entertain Eastleigh on Friday at Kingfield Stadium.They have a league match at home to Altrincham on Tuesday night, however, the interim coaching team of Craig Ross, Jake Hyde and Dale Gorman will be in the dugout for that game.“Jermain’s love of the game, his determination to succeed and his alignment with our preferred playing philosophy were important,” Woking director of football Jody Brown said.“These are shared values in terms of the working environment, player development, and high-performance culture.“He has a real appreciation for the club, the staff, the players, and what we’re building here.”